Purpose

To consolidate, disseminate, and gather information concerning the 710 expansion into our San Rafael neighborhood and into our surrounding neighborhoods. If you have an item that you would like posted on this blog, please e-mail the item to Peggy Drouet at pdrouet@earthlink.net

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Gridlock Everywhere: Congressional Impasse Shuts Down DC’s Trails

Some cyclists are ignoring the barriers erected by the National Park
Service and using the Capital Crescent Trail despite the shutdown.

Washington, DC’s bicycle commuters woke up this morning to find that
one popular rail-trail was closed due to the government shutdown, which
took effect at midnight.

The Capital Crescent Trail is the most heavily-used rail-trail in the United States, with more than a million users
a year. Not just a weekend pleasure-ride spot, the CCT is thick with
bicycles during morning rush hour as people use it as a safer and more
pleasant bike-commuting alternative to DC’s congested streets. Now, the
government would give them no choice — though the Washington Area Bicyclist Association reports that there’s little enforcement and intrepid bike commuters are using the trail despite the barriers.

Since this important bike route is managed by the National Park
Service, it is part of the vast collateral damage of the embarrassing
scenario unfolding on Capitol Hill. WABA warned yesterday that “all or
part of the heavily-commuted Rock Creek Trail, Anacostia Riverwalk
Trail, and George Washington Memorial Trail are on NPS property” and
could also be shut down, but early reports seem to indicate that they’re
still open.

The 185-mile C&O Canal trail, which runs from DC’s Georgetown neighborhood to Cumberland, Maryland, is also closed.

The 185-mile C&O Canal Trail, which begins in Washington, DC, is closed.

All roads are open during the government shutdown, except some leading into national parks, which are closed.
In DC, this would include Rock Creek Parkway and other roads through
the largest urban national park in the country — but, curiously, that
key car-commuter route is still open. However, Rock Creek Park’s Beach
Drive is closed to car traffic during the shutdown, so people who enjoy
riding their bikes there on weekends, when drivers are normally kept
out, will enjoy riding it today. That’s one nice trade-off for losing
the CCT.

WABA was alerted to the possible Capital Crescent Trail shutdown yesterday, and bollards were put in place
at the entrances to prepare to block trail traffic. The sections of the
CCT within Montgomery County remain open, since they are owned by the
county, not NPS.

DC has a disproportionate number of city parks under NPS, but
certainly the shutdown will prevent people from using other popular
off-road trails around the country, like this one in the Philly area. Where else are cyclists and pedestrian commuters being impacted?